Insulator for trolley-wire supports.



F: P. KOBERT.

INSULAT OR FOR TROLLEY WIRE SUPPORTS.

APPLlCATlON FILED JAN. 21, 1915.

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UNITED fiTATES PATENT OFFICE.

FRANK P. KOBERT, OF MILLDALE, CONNECTICUT, ASSIGNOR TO THE BARNES & KOBER-T MANUFACTURING ('10., OF NEW HAVEN, CONNECTICUT, A CORPORATION OF CON- \QNECTIGUT.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented May 2, 1916.

Application filed January 21, 1915. Serial No. 3,587.

To all whom it may concern Be it known that I, FRANK P. Konnn'r, a citizen of the United States, and residing at Milldale, in the county of Hartford and State of Connecticut, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Insulators for Trolley- /Vire Supports, of which the following is a specification, such as Wlll enable those skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use the same.

This invention relates to what are known as strain insulators for use in connection with the transverse supporting wires used for supporting trolley wires or conductors and particularly to devices of this class consisting of an insulating body portion provided at its ends with caps having staples or loops for the attachment or connection of the transverse supporting wire or wires, and the object of my invention is to produce devices of the class specified that will possess the greatest possible strength and durability in proportion to the weight of material employed, and with this and other objects in view the invention consists in devices of the class specified constructed as hereinafter described and claimed.

The invention is fully disclosed in the following specification, of which the accompany drawing forms a part, in which the separate parts of my invention are designated'-by suitable reference characters in each of the views, and in which Figure l is a view showing a trolley wire supported by a transverse wire connected with opposite poles and showing said transverse wire provided "with my improved strain insulator, two of which are employed;Fig. 2 a view of a disk or plate stamped from sheet metal and from which the end cap or caps of my improved insulator are made ;-Fig. 3 a sectional side view of one of said caps partially formed ;Fig. i a view similar to Fig. 3, but showing another step in the process of making the cap ;Fig. 5 a View similar to Figs. 3 and but showlng the complete cap before it is attached to the body of the insulator ;-Fig. 6 a view similar to Fig. 5, but showing the cap attached to one end of the body of the insulator; Fig. 7 a View of a reinforcing washer stamped from suitable metal and used in the formation of a modified form of my improved insulator cap ;Fig. 8 a View similar to Fig. 4 but showing one step in the process of making an insulator cap which employs the washer shown in Fig. '7 ;-Fig. 9 a view similar to Fig. 8, but showing another step in the process of making an insulator cap employing the reinforcing washer ;-Fig. 10 a view similar to Fig. 9, but showing another step in the process of making an insulator cap employing the reinforcing washer Fig. 11 a view similar to Fig. 10, but show ing a complete cap employing the reinforcing washer; and, Fig. 12 a view similar to Fig. 6, but showing the cap, shown in Fig. 11, connected with one end of the body of the insulator.

In the drawing forming part of this specification, I have shown at aan ordinary trolley wire supported by a bracket or other suitable device a with the opposite ends of which are connected wires I) which are connected with oppositely arranged poles 7) and in which are placed my improved strain insulators c.

The insulators c comprise a body portion 0 of the usual form and provided with end caps (Z having staples or loops (Z which are secured therein, as shown in Figs. 5 and 6, and the caps and staples or loops (Z are approximately of the usual -form. Each of the caps, as shown in Figs. 1 to 6 inclusive, consist of a disk (Z stamped from sheet steel and drawn by a suitable press and die into a cap member (5*, shown in Figs. 3, i and 5 and having parallel'side walls. After the cap (5" has been formed, the closed end (Z thereofis provided with two apertures or perforations d,- and I also provide a loop or staple of the form shown at (la-the ends of the sides of which are passed inwardly through the perforations J and riveted, welded or forged as shown at d, and in this operation of riveting the ends of the sides of the loop or staple (Z in the cap, said ends may be provided with washers if desired.

After the cap has been formed in the manner shown and described, the ends of the body portion 0 of the insulator which are inwardly tapered, as shown at 1 are insert ed successively into a cap and said cap placed in a tapered and divided die to which great pressure is applied, and the side walls of the cap are swaged and compressed to correspond with and closely fit the ends of the body 0 of the insulator as shown in Fig. 6, and this securely connects the caps with the ends of the body portion of the insulator Its.

in such manner that they cannot be detached therefrom in use.

I am aware that the general form of the insulator 0 including the caps (Z is old, but heretofore said caps have been cast from malleable metal, but with my improvement, the said caps are stamped from sheet steel of considerable thickness, and by means of my improvements, I produce the caps (Z and connect them with the body portion of the insulator-at a comparatively small expense, and at the same time provide an insulator of the class specified the end caps of which are much stronger and much more durable than when made according to the previous process.

The construction shown in Flgs. 7 to 12 inclusive is the same as that shown in Figs. 1 to (5 inclusive with the exception that in the process of manufacturing the cap, I also stamp from sheet steel a reinforcing washer a which is of such dimensions as to permit of its beinginserted into the cap (1* and when the perforations d are formed in said cap the washer k is placed on the bottom thereof and is provided with similar perforations ("-2 The washer is then placed in the cap, as shown in Fig 9, and great pressure is applied thereto so as to force it into the position shown in Fig. 10 and so that it will reinforce the closed end of the cap, after which the loop or staple (Z is secured to or in the closed end of the "ap, the sides of said loop or staple being passed through the closed end of the cap and also through the washer a and being riveted or welded as with the construction shown in Fig. 6.

The employment of the washer 6 provides for a more secure connection for the loop or staple (Z as will be readily understood, and also makes the closed end of the cap stronger, but the construction of the cap, shown in Figs. 1 to 6 inclusive will be found to be sufficiently strong in most cases.

At some time during the construction of the cap members (Z as hereinbefore described and preferably after the yoke members (Z have been applied thereto, the inner surfaces of said cap-members are treated as shown at f to provide said surfaces with teeth or projections preferably in the form of file teeth, but which may be of any desired shape, form or configuration, the ob-- ject of which is to prevent the ends of the body' portions 0 from drawing out of said cap members. Experience has shown that the strain to which these devices are subjected is frequently great enough to draw the caps (1 off of the. body portion 0 or draw said body portions out of said caps, and this results from the fact that with the end portions of the body portions 0 smooth and the corresponding inner surfaces of the cap members also smooth, there is a tendency, under great strain, for the end portions 0 to begin to slip in the cap members cl, or said cap members to slip on the end members c of the body portions of the insulator, and this slipping of the said parts results, under great strain in the end portions 1' of the bodies of the insulators being compressed and drawn out of the cap members (Z but by nurling or roughening, or providing the inner surfaces of the cap members (7* with teeth or projections of any kind the initial slipping movement above described is prevented and the insulators will stand a very much greater strain than if the inner surfaces of the cap members (F are left smooth. The'teeth on the inner surfaces of the cam members d" may be formed,

or provided by, an ordinary nurling tool or may be made or produced in any preferred way, but 'must be made or produced after the cap members (Z have been formed.

Having fully described my invention, what 1 claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is

1. An insulator of the class described, comprising a body portion of fibrous material and the ends of which are provided with inwardly tapered heads, and caps into which the heads of the ends of the body portion are inserted, the side walls of said caps being compressed to closely fit said heads and the closed ends of said caps being provided with a staple, the sides of which are passed inwardly therethrough and secured therein.

2. An insulator of the class described, comprising a body portion of fibrous material and the ends of which are provided with inwardly tapered heads, and caps into which the heads of the ends of the body portion are inserted, the inner side walls of said caps being nurled or roughened, and being compressed to closely fit said heads and the closed ends of said caps being provided with a staple the sides of which are passed inwardly therethrough and secured therein.

3. An insulator comprising a body portion of fibrous material theends of which are provided with inwardly tapered heads, and caps the closed ends of which are reinforced by washers secured therein, and staples the sides of which are passed inwardly through 'the closed ends of said caps and through said, washers and secured therein, the sides of said caps being compressed to fit the inwardly tapered heads of the body portion.

4. An insulator of the class described, comprising a body portion of fibrous material and the ends of which are provided with inwardly tapered heads, and caps into which the heads of the ends of the body portion are inserted, the inner side walls of said caps being provided with fiber engaging teeth or projections and being compressed to closely fit said heads and the closed ends of said caps being provided with inwardly tapered head, and a cap of sheet metal into which said head is fitted, the side wall of said cap being compressed on said body portion so as to closely fit said head, 1

and the closed end of said cap being provided with a staple the side portions of which are passed inwardly through openings in the cap and secured therein.

In testimony that I claim the foregoing is as my invention I have slgned my name in presence of the subscribing witnesses this 19th day of January, 1915.

FRANK P. KOBERT. Witnesses C. MULREANY, H. E. THOMPSON. 

